After George Washington, first President of the USA (1732–1799).
Large, solitary palms. Trunks woody, naked or covered with hanging dead fronds. Crownshaft absent. Leaves fan-shaped and with a short midrib, deeply divided. Leaf stalk with marginal thorns. Leaflets spreading, drooping at the tips where frayed, generally again divided into two. Flowers unisexual and both sexes on the same plant, white. Panicles arising among the leaves, arching beyond the crown. Fruit small, matt, 1 seeded.
A small genus widely grown in temperate and tropical parts of the world. They are large imposing palms ideal for group planting and are also used in avenues and driveways. Although often sold for indoor decoration, these palms are generally unsuitable for this purpose.
Fresh seed takes 2-4 months to germinate.
Large palms with a grey woody trunk and a large crown of erect to arching fan-shaped leaves; the leaflets with frayed tips.
2 species distributed on the west coast of the USA, Baja California and Sonora, Mexico.
Bailey (1936).
Source: (2005). Arecaceae. In: . Horticultural Flora of South-eastern Australia. Volume 5. Flowering plants. Monocotyledons. The identification of garden and cultivated plants. University of New South Wales Press.